Girl to Come Home To (3 page)

Then as they sat there talking, just looking at one another—even old Hetty having a part of the moment—smiling, beaming joy to one another, somehow all the terrible impressions, so indelibly graven in the consciousness of those fighters who had returned, were somehow softened, gentled, comforted by the sight and sound of beloved faces, precious voices, till for the time the past terrible years were erased. It seemed almost like a look into a future where heaven would wipe out the sorrows of earth.

Then, softly, old Hetty slipped out into the kitchen. She knew what to do, even if Mrs. Graeme had not given that warning look. So many times, dark days, when there had come no expected letters, and news was scarce and bad when it did come, these two good women had brightened the darkness by making plans of what they would do, when, and if, the boys did come suddenly, unexpectedly.

Hetty hurried to the freezing plant and got out her chickens. All the children home now, all the family together at last. And Hetty was as happy over the fact as any of the family, for they were her family, the only family she had left anymore.

And presently there was the sweet aroma of frying chicken, a whiff of baking biscuits at the brief opening of the oven door, the fragrant tang of applesauce cooking. Oh, it was going to be a good supper, if it
was
hastily gotten together. There would be also mashed potatoes and rich brown gravy, Hetty’s gravy, they knew of old. And there were boiling onions, turnips adding to the perfume. Celery and pickles. They could think it all out in anticipation, and Mother Graeme could smile and know that all was going on as she had planned. Little lima beans. Her nose was sensitive to each new smell. There would be coffee by and by, and there was a tempting lemon meringue pie, the kind the boys loved, in the cold pantry. The boys would not be missing anything of the old home they loved.

They had asked about the horse and the cow and the dogs, the latter even now lying adoringly at the feet of their returned masters, wriggling in joy over their coming.

They had heard a little of the welfare of near neighbors, a few happenings in the village, the passing of an invalid, the sudden death of a fine old citizen, but by common consent there had been no mention yet of the group of young people who had been used to almost infest the house at one time, when the boys were at home before the war. Of course many of the men and a few of the girls were in the service, somewhere, and there was a shadow of sadness that no one was quite willing to bring upon their sweet converse, in this great time of joy. Jeremy, sitting quietly, watching his mother’s sweet, happy face, suddenly realized that she had not ventured to tell them about any of their old friends and comrades, and he wondered again if she knew what had befallen Rodney. He wished in his heart that the matter might not have to be mentioned, at least not that night. There would be time enough for the shadow of a blighting disappointment to one of their number, later, but not tonight. Not to dim the first homecoming. They were there, just themselves. It was almost as they used to be before they grew up, when they were a family, simple and whole. Oh, that it might be that way for at least one more night before any revelations were made that might darken the picture!

He gave a quick look toward Rodney, sitting so quietly there watching his mother. Was Rod wondering about the same things? Of course he was. Somehow he and Rod always seemed to have much the same reactions to matters of moment. And this surely must have been a matter of moment to Rod.

Good old Rod! These first few days might be going to be tough for him. He must be on hand to help out if any occasion for help should present itself. People were so dumb. There were always nosy ones who asked foolish prying questions and would need to be turned off with a laugh, or silence. A brother could perhaps do a lot.

It was just then it happened.

The blessing had been asked. That seemed this time such a special joy to be thanking God for bringing them all together again. Father had served them all heaping plates of the tempting food, and Rod had just put the first mouthful in his mouth. Jeremy watched him do it. And then the doorbell rang, followed by the sound of the turning doorknob, the opening of the big front door, the entrance of several feet, the click of girls’ heels on the hall floor, just as it used to be in the past years so many times. For all their young friends always felt so much at home in their home. But oh, why couldn’t they have waited just this one night and let the home folks have their first inning? Just this first night!

A clatter and chatter of young voice, as Kathleen sprang up and hurried into the hall.

“Oh, there you are, Kathleen,” said a loud, clear voice that Jeremy knew instantly was Jessica’s. “Oh, you’re eating dinner, aren’t you? Never mind, we’ll come right out and sit with you the way we’ve always done. No, don’t turn on the light in the living room, we’ll come right out. Of course we’ve had our dinners before we came, but we simply can’t waste a minute, and no, we won’t hold you up. I know you must be hungry—”

Jeremy’s quick glance went to Rodney’s face, turned suddenly angry and frowning. Yes, he had recognized the voice. His reaction was unmistakable.

In one motion as it were, Rodney swept his knife and fork and napkin and plate from the table as he sprang stealthily to his feet and bolted for the pantry door, carrying with him all evidences of his former presence at the table. Only his mute napkin ring remained to show there had been another sitting there at the right hand of Mother Graeme. Then quickly, quite unobtrusively, the mother’s hand went out and covered that napkin ring, drawing it close to the other side of the coffeepot, entirely out of sight from the door into the hall by which the bevy of guests seemed about to enter. It was then that Jeremy came to himself and realized that this was his opportunity. He swung to his feet and grasped the chair that stood by his side where his brother had been sitting, giving it a quick twist, and placing it innocently off at one side, where any unsuspecting person might sit without noticing that it had but a moment before been a part of the family circle of diners.

Jeremy came forward courteously and met the guests as they entered, ahead of the disturbed Kathleen, who had done her best to turn them aside and failed. But no one would ever have suspected that Jeremy was playing a graceful part, or that he was at all anxious about the present situation. Rodney was definitely out of the picture, that was all that mattered. The pantry door was closed, and there was not even a shadow of the passing of a blue coat with brass buttons, gold braid, and ribbon decorations.

Jeremy glanced at his mother, but she was coolly welcoming the guests, seating them around the room, not saying a word about Rodney’s absence. Perhaps she hadn’t even noticed yet that he was gone. But you never could tell. Mother was a marvelous actress.

O
ut on the road going slowly by, two old men were jogging along, as much as an ancient Ford could be said to jog, even in war times, and as they passed the car standing in front of the Graeme house, they even slowed down their war jog and stared at it as they were passing.

“Ain’t that the car Marcella Ashby bought off that Ty Wardlow jest afore he left fer overseas? Seems like there ain’t another one jest that make an’ color in these parts. And I seen her driving by awhile ago with Emma Galt an’ Garethy Sloan, an’ another gal. It looked very much like that highflier who married that old gray-headed ripsnorter of a so-called stockbroker from the West, her that useta be Jessica Downs. Poor old Widow Downs done her best by that gal, but she was a chip off the old block, I guess, and couldn’t get by with that temper’ment she inherited from that flighty ma of hers an’ her good-for-nothin’ pa, Wiley Downs. He was jes’ naturally a cussed young’un from a three-year-old up, when they all thought he was so sweet and cute. Well, he was cute all right. I never did see no sweetness about him though, did you Tully?”

“Not so’s you’d notice it,” answered Tully glumly. “I know he was anythin’ but sweet when I knowed him in school, and I guess his teachers all felt the same way. And that Jessica, she had every one of his traits, including that washed-out yella hair that she flung around sa proudly, ’zif she was the only one who had any. Oh, she was sorta pretty, I’ll admit, but she had sly eyes, and I always wondered how it was that Rod Graeme ever took up with her. I sort of figured that his pop an’ mom was almost glad ta let him go to war jesta get him away from that little gold-digger. Well, she does seem like a gold-digger, doesn’t she? How she shelved Rod Graeme and took up with an old man just because he was said to be rollin’ in wealth.”

“Oh, she’s a gold-digger all right, Tully,” said Jeff Springer, turning out for the car they had just been discussing. “They do say that old guy, Carver De Groot, is rich as they make ’em. Ur leastways that’s the talk. Though I’m wonderin’ what she came back here fer, if that was her in that car with the other gals. I heard tell it was some likely that the Graeme boys might be comin’ home soon on a furlough.”

“Yep,” said Tully. “They hev. I seen ’em jest a little while ago. They got in on the late train and shied off across the meadow as if they was tryin’ to escape notice. Beats all how shy some o’ them heroes are.”

“Well, mebbe the gals seen ’em,” said Jeff, “an’ they’ve come here to find out if it’s so.”

There weren’t many in the town who could beat Jeff and Tully figuring out what had happened and what people were going to do about it.

“Well, I don’t see what she’d wantta come back here fer,” said Tully thoughtfully. “She’s married all righty, fer I heard that Marcella Ashby went out to the weddin’, an’ it ain’t so long ago, neither.”

“Yep. But then, there’s such a thing as
di
-vorces, ya know.”

“Shucks!” said Tully. “No gal brought up in this here town would think about gettin’ a
di
-vorce. Why, it ain’t considered
respectable
here.”

“Well, you needn’t tell me that gal Jessica would ever stop anythin’ she
wanted
ta do fer respectability’s sake. It ain’t in her.”

“Mebbe not,” said Tully speculatively, “but it would any of those Graemes. You know that, Jeff.”

“Yes, I s’pose so,” reflected Jeff, “that is, of course, Mom and Pop Graeme would feel that way. But that ain’t sayin’ the boys would feel that way
now
. They’ve been ta war, ya know, an’ they do say that war changes men a whole lot. You can’t jus’ say fer sure them Graeme boys feels that way now, ya know.”

“It may be so,” said Tully unbelievingly, “but I don’t believe it. I’ve knowed them Graeme boys since little up, an’ I never saw a look or an act that would lead me ta believe they would think a
di
-vorce would be right. Not them with their bringin’ up. Not them with a father an’ a mother like they got.”

“Well, that’s so, too,” said Jeff thoughtfully. “There’s a great deal in what’s before you. Your forebears mean a whole lot, even in these days. Well, mebbe you’re right! But if that’s so I can’t figger out what that ripsnorter of a gal has gone there fer.”

“Look here now,” said Tully protestingly, “I didn’t say nothin’ about that highflier gal bein’ against
di-
vorce, did I?
She’d
prob’ly be
fer
it, I s’pose, but that ain’t sayin’ what she could do about it, bein’ as one of the parties was a
Graeme
.”

“Well, I hope yer right. I sure do, Tully! It sure would be a contest worth watchin’, and I’m somehow bettin’ on the Graemes my own self, if you ast me. I sure hope I’m right.”

They drove on down the highway, and their voices were lost in the distance.

But inside the Graeme house the contest had already begun.

It was such a pity that Jeff and Tully couldn’t have been present to see the start.

It was Jessica who opened the first round, with a quick glance around the table, taking in the place where Rodney should have been and wasn’t, and not even a napkin ring in sight to mark where he had been.

Her eyes came back quickly to Mother Graeme’s face with a quick suspicious glance. She had always felt that there was not full harmony between herself and Mother Graeme even in the days when she was the acknowledged fiancée of Rodney and supposed to be under the advantage of a blessing and the full acquiescence of his parents. She had none of her own to worry about. Just the one quick glance, searching to see if the mother had somehow managed to spirit away the desirable son in the brief space of time. Then her face melted into a sweet, tender look, for she was very versatile and well knew what kind of a look she should put on to deceive these elect people.

“Oh, dear Mother Graeme!” she said tenderly, meltingly. “It’s so good to get back to you. I have come to believe that there is no mother in the whole wide world as good and dear as you are.”

Mother Graeme looked at her with an inscrutable, unbelieving smile that showed this false girl’s words had not gone even skin deep into her heart. But even her son Jeremy couldn’t be sure just what his mother felt about it when he saw.

“There are a great many mothers in the world, Jessie. You haven’t been away long enough to have seen them all, child.” And then Mrs. Graeme turned away and greeted the other girls graciously.

Mom is a perfect lady even though she’s never been much out of Riverton in her life
, decided Jeremy as he watched the quiet poise of his lady-mother. And then he noted that her brief acceptance of the gushing compliment had been enough to put the showy admiration out of running, and Jessica turned quickly to her next interest, which was really what she had come for. It began with another quick survey of the table, dwelling on each vacancy where another might have sat, and then she addressed a remark to the whole table. “But where is
Rodney
?” she asked, letting her eyes touch each face tentatively and coming back decisively to Jeremy. “I was told that he had come home also. Surely he hasn’t left already?”

Jeremy caught the question midway before anyone else could answer, the way he used to snatch the football out of the very teeth of the enemy when interference hadn’t been suspected from his direction.